 |
Director on the Road At Camp’s 75th reunion a beautifully decorated jacket was auctioned and purchased by alumni and given to former Camp Director Bev Cassidy. Since neither Bev nor Jane can hit the road to visit Camp Newaygo Alumni, Bev agreed to send her jacket instead to gather stories and pictures of Camp Newaygo Alumni! Enjoy these stories and memories from other alumni! Maybe you’ll even recognize and reconnect with a few “sisters” from your camp days! |
|
Kirie
The
Newaygo spirit has accompanied me since the fifties. My eight years at
camp were empowering at a time when empowerment of women had not yet
been identified. Camp helped me develop leadership skills and
confidence. Camp also helped to develop spirituality in all of us before
it had a name. Following college at Denison University, I went to
graduate school in social work at the University of Chicago. The law
school was across the street from the school of Since leaving Camp Newaygo after being a camper, CIT and counselor, I have been a Spanish teacher, a dance instructor, a mother of four children and now a grandmother of four. I have been married to my husband, Kenny, for 40 years. My two daughters, Patty and Susie went to Camp Newaygo. Patty became a CIT and counselor. My two sisters, Nancy and Mary Hexter, also went to Camp Newaygo, along with their daughters. As you can see, there is a long and loving relationship between the Hexter/Riskinds and Camp Newaygo. My four children are now married, and the hope is their daughters will continue the tradition. About five years ago, my husband retired, and we picked up and moved from our hometown, Highland Park, IL, to settle in Tucson, AZ and Steamboat Springs, CO. We live six months in each place, enjoying all kinds of outdoor activities. At Camp Newaygo, I taught dance, canoeing, and swimming. I still love to dance but am somewhat limited by two artificial hips. I play golf, do low impact aerobics, ski, snowshoe, walk, read, and play with my two dogs. In Steamboat Springs, we live out in the country, surrounded by mountains and wildlife. On a hill behind our house we have a sheep wagon (it’s like a covered wagon with a bed and a stove inside) and on occasion we camp out there. Up there we also have a big fire pit surrounded by low benches and a big picnic table. It’s a little Camp Newaygo in the mountains! This past summer, a group of s Newaygo-ites had a mini reunion at our house in Steamboat. We hiked, swam in the hot tub, boated, and had a wishing boat ceremony. Because of a fire ban, we couldn’t have a real cookout or a “final campfire,” but that didn’t stop the laughter and tears as we reminisced and ate too much. I can attest that the Newaygo spirit is alive and well in the “older generation” of campers! We agreed that Camp Newaygo had a tremendous influence on us and our lives; everyone felt grateful to have experienced those wonderful Newaygo Summers. See you at the BIG reunion! Judy Hexter Riskind KJRJHR@yahoo.com
|
|
social work so it was inevitable that I would meet a law student. Bob
and I graduated together one day and got married the next. He was from
Los Angeles and there was never any debate as to where we would settle.
Now that our two sons are adults, and career development for me (LA
County Adoptions) is not the focus, reconnecting with camp friends has
revived the Newaygo spirit. I found Betsy Eeles, Sue Hardgrove and Diana
Senff at camp in 1996(?). We copied the mailing list and wrote to
everyone we could find, so it was rewarding to gather in Cabin 9 for the
75th